Vegan Sloppy No's

J was pretty happy to title these little sandwiches as Sloppy No's. Actually, this is a PPK recipe and they call them Snobby Joe's. I like J's name better; we're not snobs, just vegetarians. This particular recipe came from Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook and it is wonderful. As I've mumbled before, I'm not a fan of cooking with meat substitutes (tvp, tofu and all the other textured meatless wonders). So I was pretty psyched to find a "sloppy joe" recipe with lentils. As my friend Erin stated, lentils are little "nutritional powerhouses" and any one should be happy to include them in a delicious meal.



Here is the link to the Snobby Joes Recipe on the PPK site. The only thing I might do different is substitute brown sugar for maple syrup. I know that sugar sucks and maple syrup is packed full of good shit, but brown sugar gives me nostalgia. So, ha.

Grilled Gazpacho Pasta Salad

I needed to make a family friendly side dish for our Mother's Day cookout in Indy. As much as burgers and brauts tempt me, I'm just not gonna do it. So I recreated a meal that I had made last summer, Grilled Gazpacho & Tubetti Salad. It is extremely nutritious and colorful, not to mention the wonderful hearty flavors of grilled veggies. Plus, it makes a ton so leftovers for the week!

Recipe:
10 tbsp. olive oil (estimate)
1 1/2lb cherry tomatoes
3 bell peppers (I use red and yellow, seed and cut in 1/4's)
2 medium red onions
4 medium zucchini, trimmed and halved lengthwise
4-6 garlic cloves, peeled
3 tbsp. Sherry Vinegar
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 box tubetti pasta
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
Optional: 1 cup herbed feta. Or slice a few spicy, grilled sausages for the carnivores.

Soak skewers for grill. Cut peppers and onions in quarters for grill prep. Toss all veggies with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Skewer veggies. Skewer your tomatoes 4-5 per skewer. Lay zucchini on grill. Wrap garlic in foil once oiled and seasoned. Grill it. Tomatoes grill the fastest in 3-5 minutes. Peppers take about 8-10 minutes. Onions and zucchini take 12-15 minutes. Once done, peel half the peppers and throw them in a blender with half of the other veggies (1/2 toms, 1/2 zucchini, 1/2 onion) and all the garlic. Add the vinegar, sugar and press play. Then coarsely chop the remaining veggies. Prep your pasta and mix in a large bowl with the blended ingredients. Top with chopped veggies, herbs and feta. Serve and eat warm. However, it is damn good once it is refrigerated.

Vegan African Peanut Stew

I'm on the hunt for new flavors and new recipes. So, I pulled out last summer's Vegetarian Times and experimented. I was a little nervous when we decided to try the Spicy Peanut Stew. I was mostly nervous because the picture sorta made it look disgusting and the flavor combination was a little foreign to me (peanut butter and tomatoes?). But, of course it was a hit. Not only was it a one dish (plus rice maker) meal, but the sink wasn't filled with dishes afterwards, which always makes my husband (aka dishwasher) happy!




Recipe: (for stew...hold on, you should make the salsa too)
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced (about 1 cup)
1 celery stalk, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 tbsp. grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks (about 2 cups +)
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes with chiles
1 1b. butternut squash, cut into 1 inch chunks (about 3 cups)
1/2 lb. cauliflower florets (about 4 cups)
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (I used 365 Brand, Organic)
6 cups cooked brown rice
1 head watercress, stems removed (I did not add this ingredient because mine wilted)

Heat oil in large pot on med-low. Add onion and celery and cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in garlic and ginger and cook another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add potatoes and tomatoes. Increase heat to medium and cook for another 5 minutes until sauce is thicker, stirring occasionally. Stir in 2 cups of water and season with some salt and pepper (i always under salt my meals for health reasons, but this one really needs some salt). Simmer partially covered for 10 minutes or so. Add squash and cauliflower and cook 15 minutes or so, until vegetables are tender. Whisk together peanut butter and a 1/2 cup warm water. Add to the stew. Cook another 5 minutes and stir constantly. Pour over rice.



Recipe: (for salsa on top)
1 cup roasted peanuts
1 cucumber peeled, seeded and diced
1/2 cup cilantro
2 jalapeno peppers
4tbsp. lime juice
2 tbsp. grated fresh ginger
1 tsp. salt



On this recipe, I doubled all the amounts above because there was a group consensus that the cucumber salsa was a key component to this dish. So, no need to double up because I did it for you. But simply toss all those ingredients together and spoon on top of your stew.

Vegan Beet Burgers

Let me preface this post by admitting that I'm not a fan of the beet. In fact, before a few weeks ago I was known to have ran to the bathroom to spit out the last beet to touch my tongue.

And then Alicia called. I was home alone and they were cookin' so I was a polite guest and ate what was prepared for me...a delicious beet burger! It was Alicia's first attempt at a beet burger and we both agreed that the recipe needed to be mastered and tried again. So, last night the four of us mastered the beet burger. (Erin, only thing not vegan is that cheese on top).



Recipe:
2 beets boiled, skinned and cubed itty bitty (like egg salad cubed)
1 can black beans, drained
1 1/2 cups short grain brown rice, cooked
1 cup (about) panko bread crumbs
1/2 red onion, diced and sauteed
3 cloves garlic, diced and sauteed
1/2 red pepper, diced and sauteed
6 tbsp. ketchup
2 tbsp. spicy mustard
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Saute onion, garlic and red pepper with 3 tbsp of ketchup, salt and pepper. In large bowl, add saute mix, beet cubes, black beans, rice, bread crumbs, mustard and remaining ketchup. Mix it with your hands and get all dirty. (Note: right after the photo below was taken I ran on the porch yelling to my neighbor Shannon that "I'm having my baby". I thought it was hilarious and she lost her appetite.)



Patty them up and grill 'em or pannini press 'em. They are fucking delicious. We ate them with spinach salad and sweet potatoes. Yummmmmmmm.

Custard Inspired Lasagna

And By Custard, I mean Shannon (previously known as Heller) Custard. Yes Mrs. Jaymi Tharp, your previous staff members are still soul sisters.




When Shan, Matt, Sammy and Gracie came to stay over Christmas, they left me inspired! Not only was I completely awed by the tens of pounds they have shed (Gracie and Sammy not included in this feat) and their avid training for the spring triathalon, but Shannon baked a delicious and healthy lasagna just for us to mow on for the holidays.

Side note: I have quite a few friends who have chosen to prioritize their physical well-being in the past year. I applaud all of you. Not only have I seen complete body reformations, but your energy seems to be flowing out from you and into the lives of others. I thank all of you for being such great inspirations and motivators. Keep up the positivity. I am truly thankful to have such great friends.



Okay, back to lasagna. This was my attempt at a healthy lasagna. Whole wheat noodles, spinach, home made (vegetable intense) red sauce and then I went downhill. Unfortunately, I puts tons of low fat, organic ricotta and low fat mozzarella on this baby. Something was screaming inside of me (maybe that damn baby in there) for more cheese.
Anyhow, it was delicious and moderately healthy?

Eggplant Parmesan

So, Alicia and I love to cook together. We would surely open a busniess together if we could settle on an idea/won the lottery. But until that happens (cause it will), we will cook and bake and drink wine while dreaming about it.

This is the second time we have labored at Eggplant Parmesan. It's a pain in the ass to make and the recipe is a pain in the ass to recreate. So, here is what was left of our lovely dinner. It was delicious.


We all love making these eggplant chips.




And dipping the chips in our tasty sauce. Yum.

Black Bean Burgers

Although this isn't the best photo of these tasty burgers, I guarantee you it was the best batch of these babies I have ever made. I started experimenting with black bean burger recipes last summer and I don't think I've made any batch the same as the last. They hold up well on a bun, but I prefer to smear then with sweet relish and hot mustard and fork 'em in. Unfortunately, because I change it up so much I don't have a fool free recipe. So, here are some ingredients and some estimates. Enjoy!

Recipe:
1/2 red pepper
1/2 onion
clove garlic
2 tbsp cumin
1 1/2 tbsp red pepper flakes
can black beans (drained)
1/2 cup + salsa or catsup
1 1/2 - 2 cups whole wheat bread crumbs
hot sauce to taste

Saute pepper, onion and garlic with spices. Add catsup/salsa. Pour mixture into food processor with can of black beans. Puree until ingredients look like refried beans. Scrape out of processor into mixing bowl. Add bread crumbs and hot sauce (and corn if you want). Mix by hand. Make little patties and you're ready to go. Griddle them, fry them or pannini machine cook them. They don't' hold up on a grill. Enjoy!

Szechuan Green Beans and Brown Rice

We like it hot here in the Vaughn-Pierce household. Spice is mandatory and a cure for any seasonal stuffiness. These Szechuan Green Beans are tasty alone with brown rice or are fucking radd with my homemade Peanut Sauce (I'll get around to adding that recipe some day soon). I'll detail the beans, you make your rice as you wish.

Recipe:
Three fist fulls of fresh green beans, ends trimmed
6-12 (6 for some spice, 12 for some kick) dried Chiles de Arbol (found at Whole Foods, click on link for a visual)
2 tablespoons red pepper flakes
3 green onions (chopped chunky)
1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon on peanut or sesame oil

Get a large frying pan hot at Medium-high heat with the oil. Toss the beans, chiles and red pepper flakes in at the same time. Constantly stir or move veggies in pan for about a minute. Add the onion and squeeze the juice from half a lemon over the mix. Don't let the onion sit on heat for longer than 45sec. Pull from heat and serve hot over rice. Yum!